NEW YORK—It has the feel of an epidemic around here. Another player, Tomas Berdych, bit the dust just as I began to type this, with a shoulder injury—it’s the tournament’s 14th retirement, a U.S. Open record.
I haven’t come across a good, unifying reason for the carnage. Some people think that players are more cautious and think more long term about their careers now; Guillermo Vilas won 145 matches in 1977, and he won them the hard way. Others believe the modern game is harder on the body. Some others blame overtraining. The theory has always been that players will pull the plug early in the tournaments leading up to a Slam, not at the Slam themselves.
Overall, hard courts have always been harder on the body than other surfaces, and I believe the length of the schedule is to blame for the number of injuries as the year wears on. It’s one more reason to shorten it, except for the pesky fact that the majority of pros would find ways to play for money during the off-season anyway, and probably injure themselves in the process.
I’ve never been a member of the “why don’t they play like they used to” school. Yes, more net-rushing would be nice, as would more variety of any sort. But I still like the game now, at least on the men’s side, more than I did a decade ago. Last night, though, I was outraged when 18-year-old Jack Sock, winner of the Nationals at Kalamazoo last year, hit a good lob over Andy Roddick’s head and then proceeded to stand at the baseline. Roddick tracked the ball down and hit it back to a spot where Sock could easily have knocked off a volley. But he wasn’t there, and he ended up losing the point.
There aren’t all that many tactical axioms in tennis beyond, “hit your approach down the line,” but “follow a lob to the net” is one of them. Or is it not anymore? Or was Sock just frozen in the bright lights of New York?
The New York Times comes through with a couple of interesting articles today. First is a story by Greg Bishop on a chair umpire who doubles as a Catholic priest. Father Paul Arinze is forced to hear the lord’s name taken in vain on a regular basis at the U.S. Open. “Sometimes, I’m tempted to say, ‘You know, you have a Catholic priest sitting here,’” Arinze tells the serendipitously named Bishop. “But it’s OK. Being a priest, you’re trained to forgive.”
Harvey Araton follows that with an opinion piece on the American-centric nature of the U.S. Open’s evening schedule. Until last night, I’ve always shrugged and thought that’s just the way it goes. That’s the way it goes at night in Australia, and that’s the way it goes on center court at Roland Garros and at Wimbledon. But last night was over the top: Yes to Christina McHale, even if she was surprisingly disappointing, but Roddick vs. Sock was a pedestrian matchup and a foregone conclusion.
Araton talks to Juan Martin del Potro, who says that he would “have to win more matches” to ever merit a night session (he’s never played in the evening). He’s already won the tournament; what else do you want him to do? He also made himself into an instant favorite in New York by doing so—tennis fans, serious tennis fans, in the U.S. have always been more cosmopolitan than the Open or the television networks give us credit for. Maybe we’ll get the big man at night, if he plays our American big man, John Isner, in the fourth round.
Draw thoughts:
—I guess I’m happy I’ve been saved from telling you that you should look out for Tomas Berdych, which is what I was planning to write here.
—We’ll see what happens today, but I’m wondering whether Ivo Karlovic might put a scare into Novak Djokovic if they face each other in the fourth round. Karlovic played well against Richard Gasquet, but Djokovic is the king of the return right now.
—Rafael Nadal vs. David Nalbandian is the best of the third-rounders. Nalbandian’s two-handed backhand has always given Rafa fits.
—Yesterday, Donald Young faced the biggest moment of his career and came through. Tomorrow he’ll face what might be an even bigger one, a winnable follow-up match against Juan Ignacio Chela to reach the fourth round of a major.
—On the women’s side, this is quite an opportunity for Monica Niculescu and Angelique Kerber, who play each for a spot in the quarterfinals. Ditto for Shuai Peng and Flavia Pennetta.
—Interesting fourth-rounder, and a tough one to call: Lisicki vs. Zvonareva
This is the first year I’ve covered all four Grand Slams. Which is the best? They all have their places and moments and scenes. Looking out on Chatrier at Roland Garros from the press seats halfway up is a thrill, as is seeing the church spire on the hill above the All England Club. The U.S. Open, like New York City, is most characteristic and picturesque in the evening, when the sun is setting over Manhattan and city-ites (or citiots, as my brother in law sometimes calls us) stroll with beer and wine glasses. Much of the time, I think of the Open as too big, too crowded, too commercial, too much in general. But having seen all of the majors this year, I’ve started to appreciate the size and scale of this one. You know, when you’re sitting by the statue of Arthur Ashe, looking at the titanic stadium with the same name right in front of you and glimpsing the vast food court spread out forever to your right, that it doesn’t get any bigger than this.